People of Massachusetts Stand Against "Pay-to-Stay" Policies in County Jails
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Dear Massachusetts State Senators and Representatives:
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about Amendment 26 as passed in the House proposed budget. This amendment will force prisoners in county jails to pay up to $5 per day for their incarceration. This amendment is harmful to our communities and will take much needed resources from people who are already struggling during these tough economic times.
Nearly half of all individuals locked up in county jails have not been convicted of any crime, they either cannot afford or were not given the option to post bail. A policy like this acts as theft from poor communities. These policies are not even supported by many of the prison officials themselves. One particular sheriff's office spokesman stated, "When asked why his county rejected the pay-to-stay policies, Deputy Tom Erickson, the sheriff's spokesman in Johnson County, Kansas, told the Christian Science Monitor: "[I]f somebody doesn't pay, what do you do? Do you issue a warrant for them, have them arrested again, put them back in jail? You've created a debtors' prison, and that's neither wanted nor needed. For us, it wasn't the right thing to do." In Ohio, Butler and Hamilton County recently ended a similar program because the prisoners sued them and won, costing the county tens of thousands of dollars.
Massachusetts should not make the mistake of allowing Amendment 26 to make it into the Senate budget or into the final reconciled budget! Senators Chang-Diaz and Rosenberg have already vocalized their opposition to the amendment. We encourage all of the Massachusetts Senators and Representatives to do the right thing and stop this amendment from moving forward!
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about Amendment 26 as passed in the House proposed budget. This amendment will force prisoners in county jails to pay up to $5 per day for their incarceration. This amendment is harmful to our communities and will take much needed resources from people who are already struggling during these tough economic times.
Nearly half of all individuals locked up in county jails have not been convicted of any crime, they either cannot afford or were not given the option to post bail. A policy like this acts as theft from poor communities. These policies are not even supported by many of the prison officials themselves. One particular sheriff's office spokesman stated, "When asked why his county rejected the pay-to-stay policies, Deputy Tom Erickson, the sheriff's spokesman in Johnson County, Kansas, told the Christian Science Monitor: "[I]f somebody doesn't pay, what do you do? Do you issue a warrant for them, have them arrested again, put them back in jail? You've created a debtors' prison, and that's neither wanted nor needed. For us, it wasn't the right thing to do." In Ohio, Butler and Hamilton County recently ended a similar program because the prisoners sued them and won, costing the county tens of thousands of dollars.
Massachusetts should not make the mistake of allowing Amendment 26 to make it into the Senate budget or into the final reconciled budget! Senators Chang-Diaz and Rosenberg have already vocalized their opposition to the amendment. We encourage all of the Massachusetts Senators and Representatives to do the right thing and stop this amendment from moving forward!
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435.
Roberta K
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This is crazy. It will create a system of jailing the poor and/or extending jail time, thus costing the state more money!!
17 August 2015
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